Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Blooms from Indoors

We went on vacation. A long vacation. Well, a long vacation for us at least - a week! And it was wonderful. Well, it was wonderful until we caught the flu on the last few days of our vacation.

We returned home coughing and sneezing and feverish. It is cold outside (for Texas) and feels especially chilly to feverish skin. And so, I have not ventured outside. Usually I would make the rounds in my garden, noting the changes, and celebrating the blooms. Instead, I crawled into bed to hibernate and recuperate. I think this is the longest I've ever been away from my garden.

Right before I crawled into bed, however, I glanced out the kitchen window. "Oh, my camellia is blooming!"

The house/pet sitter replied, "Yes, it's so pretty! It's been full of blooms all week!" If I hadn't been sick, I would have hugged her.

Then I realized that there was a lot of beauty I could enjoy from indoors. The pear tree is glorious.

There are roses blooming outside still.

And inside, my Christmas cactus is posed to bloom for Christmas!

(all photos were taken from inside the house)

I've written before about views out my windows. But I didn't realize just how important those glimpses of the garden truly are. For a gardener that can't go outside, being able to enjoy blooms and beauty from inside the house is both a Celebration - and a Lesson.

64 comments:

Indeed the views of the garden no matter the season are important to me...especially in winter. I designed the garden with that in mind...and look at your garden beauty Holley. I hope it gives you some healing peace. How awful to get the flu at the end of a vacation. Sending you warm healing hugs from afar!! Feel better my friend! And thanks for linking in!!

How nice to have designed your garden with the views from inside in mind. I once heard of a garden designed "backward" with the lowest plants in back and the tallest plants in back, it was to be viewed from inside!

Hi Holley, sorry to read that you caught a flu It must be pretty bad if it prevents you from going outside and checking out what has changed in the garden during your absence. But how great that you could see all these beautiful plants and flowers from the inside. I love, love, love your camellia! I actually enjoy the views from our windows into the garden consciously quite a bit and try to make sure that there is something pretty to see and also that there is some change going on during the season. Hope you recover soon!Christina

I think putting the camellia in that spot was a spur-of-the-moment decision, as the camellia was one of those spur-of-the-moment unplanned purchases! But it being planted there has given me so much pleasure over the years, it couldn't have worked out any better!

I think snow is so beautiful, but I'm not sure how I would like it if I had to live with it for very long. I do think that the bones of a garden under the snow can be quite lovely - something we rarely get to see here!

What a surprise to have that beautiful Camellia in bloom after holidays. But annoying to come home from holidays with flu, anyway you can enjoy the beauty of your garden from indoors. Hope you recover soon.

I have another camellia close by, and I thought for certain it would be in bloom, too, but it's not. I'm so glad that this camellia decided to bloom for my return. It really helps my mood to see its cheery blooms.

I've been surprised how cold it is! In the 20's every night here! I guess that's good for keeping the chili thrips at bay, but I'm looking forward to some warmer weather when I can get outside and work in the garden. For now, though, I guess it's good that it's so cold when I can't go out anyway!

How fun to have snow and birds to see - personally, I could skip the deer! Mine have found the roses in one area that is not fenced, and I'm having a hard time keeping them from eating them to the ground! We went on a cruise vacation - it was fabulous, and warm! Such a shock to get back to freezing temperatures!

Janie - even when you have gardened for a very long time, I think you will find there is still so much to learn! I think that's one of the things I love about gardening - no one can ever know everything!

Holley, I'm hoping you're feeling better by now. But now you have a little time to stop and see the roses even if you can't smell them! I am learning to appreciate the inside views, too. My favorite is when I sit at the breakfast table and look out at the view of the backyard. It makes me linger over breakfast!

It's pity you're ill and I hope you will be better soon. I love to look at my garden at my bedroom window too. But I do it in summer only when I live there. You' can see your plants all the year, it's wonderful, Holley!

I think it is important to see the garden from windows. My favorite part of the morning is opening the blinds to be greeted by a blooming plant. I also grow hummingbird and butterfly friendly plants near the windows for my entertainment.

Thanks for mentioning the hummingbird feeder! I need to move my hummingbird feeder. It is on the side of the house where I rarely venture (a guest room). I will have to figure out a good spot for it next year, where I can see it often.

How nice to still have blooms outside to see. I see snow. Well I do have a couple Heather blooming so I do get blooms all Winter with those. Your view would be a site to see from inside, especially not feeling well. Hope you are better soon.Cher Sunray Gardens

What lovely thoughts above (from you, Holley, and all the people who have commented. I can't see anything except wonderful (very frosty, at the moment) woodland, since our garden is below on the slope. But I enjoy the amazing beauty every morning, even if I can't see my plants. Maybe 'inside-out' is a nice theme for winter blog posts?Take care and wrap up warmly!

A wintery woodland would be a beautiful sight to see - and very festive for the season, too. I often wish we had a bit more winter here, but I don't care so much for the cold, so I wouldn't want too much of it!

Oh dear, Holley. So sorry to hear you were ill--and during and after a vacation. Not fun. But that is a wonderful realization and lesson--that you can view the beauty from inside if you have to. And you do, indeed, have beautiful views! Sorry for the late reply: My Internet connection was on the fritz for a couple of days. And thank you so much for joining in the memes! Take care!

I had planned to put together a completely different post for the memes, but not being able to go outside spoiled those plans. This lesson is one that I often don't think about - I'm usually outside first thing every morning! It's one I need to remember, though, especially as I get older.

Beautiful things to view of your garden. Always nice to have happy surprises in the garden after being away. Hope you feel well soon to get out and in the garden to enjoy. Although the weather outside is making me want to stay in - the gray days are not helping my battery recharge.

So sorry about your flu! But you are so right about the view from the house being so important. I frequently fidn myself confined indoors thanks to my health issues, and having things outside that still make me smile makes a huge difference. I know I am getting better again when start taking notes on what I want to do out there. Beautiful camellia, enough to make anyone smile, even when gripped by flu.

At least you could enjoy your garden from inside the house, and I hope it cheered you up ! There is always something of interest out there. It is a good time to make plans and read seed catalogues, from a cosy vantage point by the fire !

Hope you are getting well soon Holly, so you can enjoy your garden again. Being able to see the garden from inside the house is something I really miss here I live now, the Victorians didn’t build their houses here in London with gardening in mind! The living room is facing the street and the only window downstairs where I can see the garden is a small kitchen window – if I lean over the work surface, which I do almost every day :-)Lovely to see your camellia in flower, every year I think I really MUST get a winter flowering camellia, mine doesn’t start until March or so. Next year perhaps?

What a shame to have your vacation ruined in the final days and then to come home sick! I hope you are better soon. At least the view of your camellia in flower and roses are there just outside your window to cheer you up. Take care Holley!

I love mine - I hope your daughter loves hers as well. After I got mine, I ran into a man that had a very large one, in full bloom. I asked him what he did to get it to bloom so well, and he said nothing. So, for the past few years, I have done nothing to mine, and it blooms right on time every year! It is so exciting to see those blooms every year!

You are so right about the joy of seeing nature even if we are unable to get outside. At the nursing home we had numerous bird feeders located close to the patient's rooms. We even had a gardener on staff, although he had seven facilities to look after, but he made sure the framework was there for us to build on and provide a pleasant view for those stuck inside.

SO very important to have a nice view when you can't go outside - and nursing homes should be very much aware of that! How wonderful to have bird feeders where the patients can see them from their rooms!